I still can’t find anything ever passed that makes it legal for the government to maintain a list of gun owners or their guns, except for Class III license holders and their weapons. There are currently 37 states that allow the possession of automatic weapons.

A person must submit an application to ATF, a complete criminal background investigation must be passed and current fingerprints filed with local and federal LE agencies. Upon approval a one-time fee of $200 for a Federal Tax Stamp per weapon is required.

With the GCA of 1986 (Gun Control Act) Civilians are not allowed to posess fully automatic weapons unless they were manufactured prior to 1986. The weapons manufactured before 1986 are “Grandfathered” meaning they can still be LEGALLY transfered thru a licensed/bonded Class III NFA Weapons Dealer.NO fully automatic weapons made after 1968 are legal for civilians to own or possess.

In 84 I paid the full price of $400 dollars for a genuine Cobray Mac 10 in .45 ACP. My local sheriff, a huge man with a giant knife tattooed on his enormous forearm which included a bundle of blood dripping off the tip onto his large paw refused to allow my possession of it in his county. That’s the first step, getting local LE approval, then the FBI/ATF scrutiny. So without his approval it was nixed. I advised him that he was denying my Constitutional Right and he told me to sue him. At the time I couldn’t afford to.

So I went back to the shop and told the dude I was refused. Couldn’t get all the money back, only store credit. So I walked out with a shotgun that made me a much more dangerous than the Mac would have, for half the money. 10 round capacity semi-automatic 12 gauge. A real beauty. Loaded with slugs, 00 and 4 buck, you can really send a load of crap downrange in a hurry an if you need something special for a treat, just stuff it in there and let it rip. Strung buck, flechettes, incendiary, flash bang, door breacher and pepper gas are all fun.

After the GCA of 86, the price of those old puppies went immediately to 2,000 and I’m sure they have continued to increase. When first I saw these items for sale and found I could – or was supposed to be allowed to – own one, the asking price was 199 dollars! For another 199 an actual Sionics suppressor could be had, with another 200 tax stamp required. That was about 1981.

So for under 800 bucks plus sales tax, a full auto 45 extra-dinky sub-machine gun with the most cooly cool silencer at the time, made especially for it, that could empty a 30 round magazine in under 2 seconds making it the weapon of choice for combat in an elevator or phone booth – remember those?

Remembered fondly.
A buddy of mine in the Air Force had one, it was 1982, and we would go to the range on base and the sound of it (no suppressor) would often bring the Security Police to see what was happening.
They usually stayed around to watch, and eventually a couple of the regulars would bring along their own ammo so he would let them shoot it.
I miss that damned thing! Just about the size of a carton of cigarettes and much more deadly!
Here’s my favorite pic of that gun:http://farm1.staticflickr.com/3/4448219_5b905952fb_z.jpg?zz=1

I understand the desirability of the photo, but that is not a Mac 10 in 45 she’s got a grip on. That might actually be a mac 11 in 380, or a one of the other companies that copied M10 in 9mm and it looks like it has no retractable stock, so it’s probably not select fire and considered a regular pistol. I’m pretty sure the one she’s got is not a Mac 10 because the thing is too long. I always thought the basic configuration with no barrel extension or anything was rather hilarious with a strap hanging off the front to hold it down. Picture some poor schmuck blowing his knuckles off with the instability of the thing. Here’s a cool little vid of the 10 and 11 demoed a long time ago. These have little vented barrel extensions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIdVkZrmw3E